Justin Fox

I had the most amazing experience last night.
I'm a landscaper and a friend of mine who owns a store where I get supplies has been telling me about this seventeen year old guitar prodigy named Justin Fox. He lives in Wilmington but he plays in my area (Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen) fairly often. My friend, a pretty level headed guy, was so enthusiastic that I'd already booked him for a local event without ever hearing him. Last night we corrected that.
He was at this little "hole in the wall" joint in Rockingham called Rock'N'Jams. There couldn't have been twenty people in the place at the height of the evening, including staff. And on stage was this skinny seventeen year old kid in a white Led Zeplin tee shirt and a white fedora playing a guitar like - I can't begin to explain!
What Tiger Woods is with a golf club, Justin Fox is with a guitar. I've been to a lot of concerts. I've seen Clapton, Dickie Betts, Johnny Lang and B.B. King. As absurd as it sounds, Justin Fox is better. The only guitarist I've ever seen to compare to him is Buddy Guy. If we do radio spots for our local event, I won't be able to use this guy's cd's because people will think it's Stevie Ray Vaughn. Justin has adopted a singing and paying style that is very much in the Stevie Ray Vaughn mold. But his origional material more than held it's own.
It was incredible. This kid who doesn't look old enough to shave was playing in this little club like a twenty eight year old Michael Jordan playing on the public courts in a park down the street and the people in this place clearly didn't understand what was going on. While my wife and I were transfixed, people were comming and going like they could hear music like this any time. Towards the end of the evening there were no more than six people in the place. Unbelieveable!
Remember the name, Justin Fox. If you get a chance to see him, don't blow it. I'm fourty four. I don't impress that easily. Believe me Justin Fox is really that good.:notworthy

 

ok, balderdash. justin fox.

wow. wonder if he has a single or something out. if not, it's just a matter of time till he is discovered.

so he is sportig a led zep t-shirt, heh? well, perhaps he was inspired by the best. maybe jimmy page has something to do with this kid. i be willing to bet. hope he puts his stuff out so we can all enjoy....

 

i wanna a CD. how?

 

cd

How to get a cd? Good question. I would sugggest sending an e-mail to [email protected] and ask him. You might ask to be put on Justin's mailing list to find out when and where he's playing. He'll be at The Rhino on Market Street in Wilmington this weekend. I don't know where he'll be after that until October fifth when he'll be playing here (Pinehurst) in a little festival along with Nantucket, the Eastwood Hawks and The Shades. See him live if you can.

 

What is that guys name that was suppose to be the next SVR? Ledbetter Blues was first CD name. He was like 19 playing his own tunes. Jonny Lang?

Yeah just looked it up and cut and pasted his short bio here:

Jonny Lang achieved national success as a blues guitarist before he was old enough to drive--his gold album Lie To Me was released a day before his 16th birthday. Like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Chris Duarte, Lang is part of a new breed of youthful prodigies who are exposing a new generation of fans to the blues.

Born Jon Langseth in Fargo, North Dakota, where the closest thing to the blues is a slow polka, Lang attended a concert by a local band called Bad Medecine when he was 12 and was enthralled by lead guitarist Ted Larsen. Larsen took the youngster under his wing and taught him how to play. Lang moved to Minneapolis and assumed frontman duties in the band, (renamed Jonny Lang & the Big Bang,) drawing a great deal of attention from the local press. When a locally produced album, Smokin, sold 25,000 copies, Lang was snapped up in a bidding war by A&M, who signed him to a 4-record deal. On the strength of the smash title track, the first album of the deal, Lie To Me, placed Lang firmly on the map. Since his debut, Lang has opened for Aerosmith, Blues Traveler and B.B. King.

Lang's playing on Lie To Me is technically superb. There may not be fathoms of emotional depth, but give the kid a break--he's 15. Perhaps more amazing than his guitar prowess are the tortured vocals that come out of the lanky teen. On tracks like "Hit The Ground Running" and "Matchbox," Lang sounds like the full-grown spawn of Joe Walsh and Joe Cocker. There's plenty of padding on the album too, however, as run-of-the-mill fare like "Rack 'Em Up" is easily forgotten. Lang's sophomore album, Wander This World, not to mention his new short-haired buzz-cut look, may do much to give Lang, who's now closing in on his 18th birthday, a more grown-up image.

 

Johnny Lang

My wife and I saw Johnny Lang at House of Blues at Myrtle Beach last year and he was great. But I swear I believe Justin Fox is as good or better. However, if I'd seen Johnny for the first time in some tiny club in a small city, I'm sure I'd have been dumbfounded, too.
Incidently, Indigenous opened up for Johnny Lang and they're excellent, too - a native american blues band. If you love the blues, they're well worth checking out.
One more note for blues lovers, the Bull Durham Blues Festival is next Friday and Saturday. We went a couple of years ago and plan to catch at least Friday night this year. It's a nice event.